Pea and Mint Soup with Celery and Lettuce Leaves

This pea and mint soup with celery and lettuce leaves is one that I love to make as it makes use of the green things that many of us throw away – the leaves of the celery stems and the outer, tougher leaves of the lettuce. Plus, I always have a bag of frozen peas on hand. It’s a trusty, economical staple. Did you know that green peas are actually a legume? They’re a good source of dietary fibre. The soup is very light, but you can make it more substantial by adding some almond meal when sautéing the onions. In this case, you’ll need to add more stock so that it’s not too thick. The pea and mint soup is a great vegan recipe. However, if you’re not vegan or vegetarian, it can also be made with chicken stock, and it’s delicious with some grilled prosciutto on top.

Best wishes,

Amanda
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Print Recipe

Pea and Mint Soup with Celery and Lettuce Leaves

Pea and mint soup with celery and lettuce leaves makes use of a trusty and economical freezer staple as well as the green things that many of us throw away.

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time10 minutes mins

Total Time20 minutes mins

Servings: 4 people

Author: Amanda Lawson

Ingredients

• 1 brown onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 2-3 cups vegetable or chicken stock
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1 cup outer lettuce leaves, washed and coarsley chopped (I used butter lettuce)
• 1 cup celery leaves, washed and coarsely chopped
• 1/3 cup mint leaves, washed and stripped from stems
• 1/3 cup almond meal (optional)
• 3-5 tbsp olive oil
• flaked sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper

Garnish

• 1 handful mint leaves, washed
• 4 slices prosciutto, grilled and crumbled (optional)

Instructions

• Heat 3 tbsp olive oil (5 tbsp if using almond meal) in a medium-sized saucpen and  sauté the onion with a pinch of salt until translucent.
• Add celery leaves and sauté for another 2 minutes until the leaves are wilted. If using almond meal, add it at this time.
• Add 2 cups of stock and bring to the boil (add 3 cups if using almond meal).
• Add peas and simmer for 3 minutes.
• Add celery, mint and lettuce leaves and turn off the heat.
• Cool for 10 minutes, then blend with a hand-held blender.
• Add more stock if you prefer a thinner soup and season to taste.
• Garnish with mint leaves or prosciutto and serve immediately with bread.

Notes

You can make your own almond meal by simply grinding up raw almonds in a blender.